From its roots in the social history of the 1970s, death history has employed multiple methodologies – including cultural, political, and economic approaches – and the field has moved beyond its early focus on Europeans and people of European descent. The fiftieth anniversary of Stannard and Ariès offers an opportunity for reflection.

Our two linked roundtables trace the impact of death history on the broader discipline, assess the current state of the field, and point toward future research questions. Our eleven panelists represent every career stage – recent Ph.D.s, mid-career scholars, and senior historians – ensuring a range of perspectives on the field’s past and future.

The first roundtable focuses on North America and the Caribbean; the second considers Europe. The North American panel consists of five historians, each of whom will speak for ten minutes. The European panel has six scholars whose presentations are limited to eight minutes each. Both roundtables will allow ample time for discussion with the audience.

The roundtables will appeal to scholars of the Americas and Europe across time periods, and to historians of others parts of the world who are interested in death, religion, and culture.